A known door handle device is applicable to a locking system (i.e., a smart entry system) in which a communication is made between a portable device carried by a driver of the vehicle and a main body provided at the vehicle so as to authenticate the portable device. In a case where the authentication is successful, a door of the vehicle is automatically locked and unlocked accordingly. According to a known door handle device for a vehicle such as disclosed in JP4079646B2, a lock detection signal processing circuit to which a circuit connection portion is electrically connected and fixed beforehand is fixed to an inner side of a first handle case. A lock detection electrode is integrally formed with the circuit connection portion by a metallic material. Therefore, the lock detection electrode is supported by the first handle case via the circuit connection portion and the lock detection signal processing circuit. In a state where a second handle case is fixed to the first handle case, the lock detection electrode is assembled so as to be arranged along an inner surface of the second handle case.
Thus, in a case where a shape and/or dimensions of the second handle case is changed, for example, the lock detection electrode may not be assembled so as to be arranged along a predetermined portion at the inner surface of the second handle case when the second handle case is fixed to the first handle case. In such case, in order to assemble the lock detection electrode to be arranged along the predetermined portion at the inner surface of the second handle case, dimensions of the circuit connection portion may be changed to thereby fix the lock detection signal processing circuit, to which the circuit connection portion is electrically connected and fixed beforehand, to the inner side of the first handle case, or a shape and/or dimensions of the first handle case may be changed, for example. Accordingly, in a case of aiming to avoid an increase of a manufacturing cost without changes of the dimensions of the circuit connection portion or the shape and/or dimensions of the first handle case when changing the shape and/or dimensions of the second handle case, a flexibility of changing the shape and/or dimensions of the second handle case may decrease.
A need thus exists for a door handle device for a vehicle which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.